Of Tears and Joy
by captainbeckerandjess
Summary: Natasha finds out she is pregnant with Clint's child days after she finds out he has died on a mission. Clint/Natasha
1. Chapter 1

Natasha didn't cry. Ever. That is, not until Steve told her Clint had died in Russia, trying to save children from the same people who had trained her. She thought back to when Clint had left with Steve to go on the mission. _He had smiled and leaned down to kiss her when Fury said it was time to head out. "See you soon, Tasha." he had whispered into her hair before climbing aboard the quinjet. Then, later, when Steve came back, alone, she had wondered what Clint was doing taking so long getting off the quinjet. She looked to Steve, saw that he had Clint's bow and arrow in his hands and rushed to him. "Where is he, Steve?" she asked. He put the bow and arrow down and pointed to the quinjet. "I'm so sorry, Natasha." he whispered. She ran to the qinjet, quietly slipped up the ramp, and saw Clint's body lying on the floor. She began to sob. Steve came over and held her as he cried. When her tears finally ran dry, she sat up and faced Steve. "How did he die?" she asked, her voice raspy. "It was a sniper shot. He was fighting against the Red Room soldiers, shooting them with arrows, when he just collapsed. I could see the blood blossoming from his stomach, so I ran over to him, put my shield up to protect us, and carried him to the quinjet. The bullet had made a clean exit, so I ordered the pilot to keep pressure on the wound then ran out to finish them off. When I got back he looked even paler and I knew he wasn't going to make it but I told him to keep fighting because he had you to get back to. He smiled weakly and told me to tell you that he was sorry."_ Her sobs wrenched her mind from the past. She now sat on the floor in her bathroom, with a pregnancy test in her hand. She started to sob harder as she looked at the little pink plus sign.

Bruce Banner was worried about Natasha. He hadn't seen her since she got off the quinjet behind the medics carrying Clint's body off the quinjet. He knew he was probably putting himself in danger entering Natasha's floor in Avenger's tower without permission, but Natasha had bee alone in there too long. He quietly entered the room at the end of the hall, passing a training room and a small ballet studio. He looked around and saw the three trays of food that Pepper had sent up, sitting on the bed, uneaten. He didn't see Natasha , but hard a small sniffle coming from the bathroom. He crossed the room and knocked softly on the door. The sniffling stopped. "Natasha, can I come in?" he asked gently. "Sure." he heard in reply. He opened the door and found Natasha staring up at him off the floor, holding a positive pregnancy test in her hand. "He didn't know. I didn't think I could have children. And now he's gone." she whispered. "Natasha, we will figure this out, come downstairs, Steve made you a plate of eggs and Thor has offered you some burned Pop-Tarts." he said. "Okay, let me get dressed into something other than slacks and a T-shirt." she replied. "Alright, see you downstairs."

He headed back down to the kitchen where Steve, Tony, and Thor all sat talking. They all looked up as Bruce came through the doorway. "See, I told you Natasha wouldn't kill him, Tony." Steve said triumphantly. "Fine you win. Where's my wallet?" Tony grumbled. "So, how is the Widow?" Tony asked as he took a swig of coffee. "I'm doing fine." replied a voice from the doorway. Everyone looked toward the door and Tony almost spit his coffee out when he saw Natasha. Her eyes were blood-shot and puffy. Her hair looked as if it hadn't been combed in a week. "Hello Lady Romanoff. How are you? I made you Pop-Tarts. Thor boomed in his loud voice as he handed her a plate of burnt Pop-Tarts. " "Thanks Thor. I'm...coping" she replied. "Natasha, do you want me to tell, or do you?" asked Bruce. "I will, but thanks." she replied. "Tell what? You two aren't getting married are you? Bruce hasn't fond another batch of gamma radiation and accidentally let it come in contact with you...I will _NOT_ have two Hulks in my tower." Tony asked frantically. Natasha shot daggers at him with her eyes. "No, I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

Tony really did spit his coffee out. "You're what?!" he shrieked, "This is worse than two Hulks...Natasha having a kid? Next thing I need is a little red-headed assassin running around my tower." Steve looked on in amusement at Tony's rant. "Is it Clint's?" he asked after Tony had quieted down. He saw the pain flash in Natasha's eyes. "You don't have to tell us." The pain died down and she replied, "Yes, but I just found out. Ask Bruce for the truth. And before you ask, Tony, we were married." Tony was still trying to cope with the fact that the assassin who could kill him 42 different ways with her pinkie was going to have a child. "That kid is going to be pretty bad if it has two assassins for parents." Tony muttered under his breath. "She, not it, Tony Stark." Natasha growled. "Whoa, Red, slow down. How do you know that it a girl?" he yelped as Natasha's fork came sailing toward his head. "Call it Mother's tuition." she replied. "Yep,that's going to be one BAD kid." Tony muttered. His face lit up as he thought of something. "Does this mean I get to design her room?" he asked excitedly. "Yes, but I get to paint it and put ALL the furniture in there." she replied. "Wold you like help, Lady Romanoff?" Thor asked. "Actually, Thor, I would like some help, from all of you, except Tony." she replied with a hint of a smile. "Why not me?" Tony whined. "YOU are going to build the nursery, remember, it was your idea." she replied. "Fine, I will be in my lab, building a baby proof nursery." Tony grumbled as he slinked off to his lab. "Steve, could you go and get some pink and white paint?" she asked as she handed him a wad of cash, "And grab some ice cream too, please?" "Sure thing." Steve replied as he headed out to his bike. "Come on, Thor, Bruce, time to get to work...baby shopping" she turned to the other two and tossed her hair back and smiled. Bruce smiled too, it was the first time in the month since Clint had died that she smiled. They worked hard for three weeks, painting, putting together furniture, and stocking up on baby clothes. "Clint, get your hawk butt down from those rafters and help. This is your child too, you know!" Natasha's voice echoed through her floor. Steve turned to Thor with a sad look in his eyes as he put down the paintbrush he was holding. "She still thinks he is just hiding." he said. "Clint?" Natasha's voice sounded out once again through the floor, this time scared. Steve heard the sobs start and raced toward the ballet studio, where Natasha was doing her yoga exercises.

"Natasha, don't cry. Everything is okay." Steve begged. Natasha just continued to cry harder. Bruce came flying to the door, took one look at Natasha and mouthed "Clint?" to Steve. Steve nodded his head and Bruce took Natasha from his arms and began to sing her a song that Betty had taught him. _Sleep now and don't you cry. You are safe inside my arms. No harm will come to you as long as we are here. Sleep now and close your eyes. Sleep safe and sound._ Natasha relaxed against his arms and soon fell asleep. He picked her up and carried her to her room where he laid her on her bed and pulled the covers up around her. He made his way down to the kitchen, wanting a big cup of black coffee, but groaned when he saw Tony standing there in the doorway. "How did you do that?" Tony asked his face somewhat portraying awe. "I know what it is like to lose someone you love, Stark." Bruce replied as he coffee finished and he headed to his lab to mellow out.

8 months later, Tony made the Bruce really mad and he Hulked-out. Natasha was in her living room watching a movie when she heard the Hulk's roars. She stopped the movie, flew through the door, kicked open Banner's lab entrance door, walked through and shit the door behind her. "HULK!" The Hulk stopped roaring to see what the noise was. He spotted Natasha and lumbered toward her. "Bruce, I need you to stay calm." she said as she began to sing a song Clint had wrote for her. _Can't you see the harm you're doing to yourself? You need to know someone is there for you, until the end. I will be there till the end. Just calm down, listen to my voice, and I will pick up the pieces of your broken heart. _The Hulk's expression softened and he shrank down to regular Banner size. Natasha threw him a pair of pants and he took them gratefully. "Where did you learn that song?" he asked as he pulled his pants up and buckled them. "Clint wrote it for me after a bad mission went really wrong." she replied. "He had a talent for music." Bruce remarked.  
_"I will call you Hulk Whisperer now on, Miss Romanoff_ " Tony's voice crackled over the intercom. "Tony, don't start anything." Bruce warned. _What? Me, start something? You're joking!_ Tony laughed across the intercom. Bruce started to reply but Natasha laid her hand on his arm and shook her head. She then gasped and placed her hand on her stomach. "Natasha, are you okay?" Bruce asked. "I need help, now" he yelled as her eyes rolled back and she fainted. Steve and Tony raced into the lab to find Bruce supporting Natasha in his arms."Thor left." Tony supplied as a answer to Bruce's questioning glance. Steve checked her pulse. "Her heartbeat is too fast. Too much adrenaline after such a long period of rest." he said. "Take her to my lab and put her on the examining table." Tony ordered. "How far is she?" Steve asked as he lifted her out of Bruce's arms and carried her to Tony's lab. "7 months along today. No complications." replied Bruce. Natasha woke as she was laid on the table. "The baby is coming and she is not waiting any longer." she gasped. "Shall I have Jarvis call Pepper?" Tony asked. "Yes, it would be nice to have a female here instead of all guys." she replied. "Jarvis, call Ms. Potts." he ordered. "Already done, sir, she will be arriving here within a few minutes."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ouch!" Natasha gasped as a painful contraction made its way down her body. "Tony? Where are you?" Pepper's voice drifted up "COMING!" he yelled in reply. "Okay I will be right back...don't have the kid until then" he joked before racing to go get Pepper. Pepper got there faster and ran and held Natasha's hand as another contraction made its way down. four hours and thirty minutes later, Aiedaile Barton was born. Her mother broke into a smile when he cried for the first time. After everybody had held her, Natasha was left alone with her new daughter. Natasha smiled as she walked over and picked Aiedaile up. She rocked her gently "Your Daddy would have been proud." she whispered. The door to the lab opened and Natasha waited for the scolding from Bruce for not sitting down, but the scolding never came. She turned to the door, gasped, laid the baby back down, walked across the room and slapped the man in the doorway on the face. "How DARE you!" she screamed as she flew into a fit of rage. The man just stood there taking it all until she was finished, the he pulled her close t him. "I'm so sorry, Tasha. I really am. Fury wanted me undercover and if everybody though I was dead..." Clint whispered as he kissed her head. He pulled her away from him and walked over to their daughters bassinet and picked her up. "Hello sweetie. Daddy's home." she smiled and stared at him with big blue eyes. "Who else knew you were still alive?" she asked him. "Fury, Hill, and Coulson." he replied, "Oh, and Steve too." he added lightly. "Steve! Steve knew!?" she shrieked. "Steve knew what?" Bruce's voice drifted in from the hall. "You better come on Banner. You are in for a surprise." Bruce came in and stopped when he saw Clint. "Barton? You're alive?" he said in surprise. "Alive and well!" Clint laughed. "Steve knew! I could really injure him right now!" Natasha growled. "Geez, Natasha, I didn't WANT to lie to you. Fury told me not to tell any one." Just then Tony walked in. "Clint? You aren't dead?" Tony stuttered. "Well, unless ghost can do this...I would say no" Clint replied as he pulled Natasha into his embrace and gave her a long kiss. "You bastard! You left a pregnant assassin at MY tower and you think a smile and a joke is supposed to make that all better?" Tony yelled. "Well, I didn't know she was pregnant. And may I remind you that it was YOU who angered Hulk, which made Natasha come flying through the door, which caused her to go into labor." Clint growled. "Whoa,so now we're playing the blame game?" Tony exclaimed. "You just put my wife and newborn daughter in danger, so yeah, we ARE playing the blame game" Clint argued. "If you two don't stop right now, I will pt both of you through the wall with my pinkie." Natasha said with a murderous glare in her eyes. Clint and Tony looked at each other and shut up. Arguing was not worth getting thrown through the wall by Natasha's pinkie. "Good. Now, Clint, grab the baby and we will go lay her down, and then I am going to sleep." she said. She showed Clint the nursery where he laid Aiedaile down and then followed her up the hall to their bedroom. "Clint, don't ever leave me again." she said as she fell into bed. "I will never leave you again." he promised as he slipped down next to her. Natasha smiled. Everything was the way it should be. Clint was not dead and they had a beautiful daughter. Natasha kissed him on the cheek and snuggled down into his arms. _A brand new life awaits tomorrow_ was the last thought she had before she fell asleep, a smile upon her lips.


End file.
